Recently my friends and I went to see the movie “Barbarian.” We decided not to look at trailers and movie descriptions beforehand, but just to go with an open mind.

The movie started off with the main character, Tess, renting a double-booked Airbnb. This is where Tess first met Keith.

These strangers were unsure and suspicious of each other. But their unbreakable guard around each other led to their downfall. Little did they know that this was not a regular Airbnb. There were secrets to unfold in the basement.

When Tess and Keith got more comfortable with each other, the plot began to thicken and become more exhilarating. I won’t say more about the plot here, so I don’t give spoilers, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this film. Throughout the movie, there are very thrilling moments that keep you on your feet. Many plot twists will catch you by surprise.

I would 100% recommend this movie to watch anywhere. But in an actual theater, the audience reactions mixed with the sound system made this watch even more memorable.  The audience reaction was my favorite part of this film.

The movie’s connection and being really in-sync with the audience is what makes this movie close to perfection in my opinion. The unique combination of a good plot and horror put this movie near the top of my list of horror films I’ve watched. 

Georgina Campbell, who played Tess, performed really well. The character she played was not your typical scary movie person who just waltzes into danger, but the type of character the audience can relate to as far as decision-making. There were moments where I was thinking to myself: “Don’t open that door!” 

Overall, the pacing of the movie was great. There weren’t any moments where I felt like it was getting boring. Some moments were sprinkled with comedy – especially after a scary scene, as a cooldown and in preparation to once again frighten you. 

Throughout the film, it hinted at there being a sequel to the movie. If that’s the case, I’m excited about it. But based on online reviews, like Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and Audience score (92% and 71%, respectively, at the time of this writing), I doubt it will get a second movie.

The conclusion of the film had quite a few plot twists that you’d never see coming – and an ending that may leave you in awe.